SA vs ZIM 1st ODI Match Prediction – Who will win?

The last-ball thriller between India and Bangladesh is hard to forget but now two African countries are set to face-off each other, therefore, we are up with yet another prediction. Here’s the prediction for the 1st ODI between South Africa and Zimbabwe:

South Africa

Strengths

Steyn gun set to fire – South African veteran Dale Steyn is set to make a comeback to the national side after a gap of 2 years. This could be a perfect chance for him to grab the ticket for the next year’s World Cup. Imran Tahir too returns to the squad alongside Christiaan Jonker, who has been handed his maiden national call-up in ODIs.

Duminy as a leader – In the absence of Faf Du Plessis, the southpaw JP Duminy is set to lead the Proteas. He has been successful earlier as well and his experience would make it tough for the Zimbabweans to win.

Weakness

Absence of Amla and Du Plessis – Two of South Africa’s best players won’t be in the playing XI due to injuries. This might not totally affect the team but the side could miss them on certain occasions when it comes to failure in the top order.

Zimbabwe

Strengths

Inclusion of senior players – Brendon Taylor and Craig Ervine are the backbone of the squad. Their inclusion would help Zimbabwe give tough competition to South Africa. Skipper Hamilton Masakadza is another experienced player in the squad who has played almost 200 ODIs.

Weakness

Coming from huge losses – It would not be easy for Zimbabwe to beat South Africa in their home. Earlier in July, they were whitewashed by Pakistan in Zimbabwe only. So, coming from that pressure and won against a big side won’t be easy for them.

Cricwizz Prediction: Clearly, South Africans are having an edge over Zimbabwe in the first ODI despite their couple of main players not playing.